Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have called for the freedom and security of maritime navigation through the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz, amid escalating attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The two leaders made the call during talks in Cairo on Tuesday as Saudi Arabia faced growing threats to its shipping and oil infrastructure from the Iran-backed Houthis. Egypt also reaffirmed its support for measures taken by Riyadh to protect its security and stability.
The Bab al-Mandab, which links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, has become increasingly important to Saudi Arabia’s oil export routes following disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway is also critical to Egypt because ships using the Red Sea and Suez Canal generate vital revenue for the country.
The Houthis have expanded their control along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and have declared a naval blockade targeting Saudi Arabia. Their advances around the Bab al-Mandab have raised concerns over the security of one of the world’s most important maritime corridors.
Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on Egypt’s Sumed pipeline to move crude as disruptions have affected its traditional export routes. Oil is transported from the Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu to Ain Sokhna in Egypt before being moved through the pipeline to the Mediterranean coast at Sidi Kerir.
The situation has been compounded by a recent drone attack that Riyadh said originated from Iraq and which forced the shutdown of the East-West pipeline feeding Yanbu. The disruption contributed to a rise in global oil prices above $100 a barrel.
For Egypt, any prolonged disruption to the Bab al-Mandab and Red Sea could have serious economic consequences because of its dependence on Suez Canal revenues.
The Suez Canal generated $4.67 billion in the 2025/2026 fiscal year, an increase from the previous year but still below pre-disruption levels. The canal’s revenues and vessel traffic have been affected by the rerouting of ships around the Cape of Good Hope since attacks on Red Sea shipping intensified.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has also put Cairo’s cumulative losses from the Suez Canal disruptions at about $11 billion.
The latest Saudi-Egyptian talks therefore carry wider economic and security implications, with Riyadh seeking greater regional support as the Houthi threat to its Red Sea oil routes intensifies.
Analysts say Egypt remains an important partner for Saudi Arabia because of its strategic position at the northern end of the Red Sea and its control of the Suez Canal. However, Cairo has traditionally favoured diplomacy and mediation in regional conflicts, making its response to any request for direct military involvement uncertain.
The developments come as the conflict in Yemen intensifies and the security of the Bab al-Mandab becomes increasingly linked to the wider disruption of Middle Eastern energy and shipping routes.
